DRI calls for an end to international support for segregation of children worldwide in the New York Times
June 18, 2014 – Washington, DC – Last weekend, the New York Times shined a light into the dark corners
Our work in United States of America
Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommends a ban on shock devices used on children with disabilities at the Judge Rotenberg Center
April 25, 2014 – Washington, DC - Following testimony yesterday by Disability Rights International (DRI) and several other advocacy organizations, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel on neurological devices has recommended a federal ban on electrical shock devices used to punish and control the behavior of children with disabilities– a practice condemned by the United Nations to be torture under international law.
Eric Rosenthal, Founder & Executive Director of DRI, receives 2013 Charles Bronfman Award
New York – June 3, 2013 – Eric Rosenthal, founder and executive director of Disability Rights International, is the 2013 recipient of The Charles Bronfman Prize.
DRI Testimony: US Action Needed to Protect Disability Rights Worldwide
Washington, DC – April 23, 2013 - Today the US National Council on Disabilities (NCD) held a public hearing on US ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). NCD invited Eric Rosenthal of Disability Rights International to testify about actions that NCD and the US Government can take to advance ratification and implementation of the CRPD. Read DRI's testimony here.
The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture calls on Obama Administration to take action to end torture at Massachusetts school for children with disabilities
Washington, DC – March 5, 2013 - Juan Méndez, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, presented a report to the UN Human Rights Council yesterday in Geneva holding governments around the world accountable for violations of the UN Convention Against Torture. The report cited the United States, calling on the federal government to bring an end to the use of electric skin shocks and restraint at the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC) in Canton, Massachusetts.
DRI President Laurie Ahern named Viscardi Award Recipient
Albertson, NY- March 4, 2013- DRI's President Laurie Ahern is one of nine recipients of a new international award designed to identify and honor people living with disabilities for their work and influence on the global disability community of more than one billion people.
ACTION ALERT: Support Needed to Help US Ratify CRPD
Disability Rights International (DRI) has played a leading role in pushing for US ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) through its work with the US International Council on Disabilities (USICD), a coalition of US-based organizations, federal agencies and individuals committed to advocacy and action on behalf of the global disability rights age
The United Nations calls again for investigation of JRC's shock treatments
Washington, DC-- A scathing article concerning the abuses against children with disabilities at the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC) was published Saturday by the Guardian of London. Juan Mendez, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, told the Guardian he is "very concerned," about the use of electric shocks as aversive treatment on children with disabilities at JRC.
DRI Founder and Executive Director, Eric Rosenthal, Receives 2012 Public Service Award from the University of Chicago
June 4, 2012--Washington, DC-- On Saturday June 2, 2012 the University of Chicago conferred the Public Service Award on Eric Rosenthal, founder and Executive Director of Disability Rights International (DRI).
DRI Calls for Speedy US Ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
May 25, 2012--Washington, DC-- Disability Rights International (DRI) applauds the bipartisan group of U.S. Senators who earlier today released a unified statement urging the U.S. to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).